Sermon Central
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What Do These Stones Mean? Series
Contributed by Art Good on Aug 14, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: These stones speak to me of God’s grace. They are my pile of stones that remind me that God has worked powerfully in my life in times past, and He will do so again. These stones remind me of the thousands of stones God has moved in my life, of the thousan
How many early risers do we have here today?
When you wake up you are ready to go! Wide awake!
People who aren’t early risers can’t stand to be around you.
When travel, I like to leave early! Excited to get where I’m going.
Well, imagine dreaming and planning to go someplace your entire life. Your parents and grandparents dreamed of going there before you, and they would tell you stories from the time of your earliest memories about how great it would be when you finally got there. Now imagine this was not just a personal dream, but a national one. And that every other person in the nation was dreaming and planning to take the trip together.
All the people around you have the same dream. Everything you all (ya’ll) did was designed to move you all in that same direction, to get you to that place. Can you imagine how awesome that would be? And what if you were told that tomorrow, it was going to happen?
I would wake up early! Well, so did Joshua. After 40 yrs. they were almost there. We hear that "40 years number" a lot when we read about the people wandering in the wilderness.
But have you ever stopped and thought about how long that was How many of you here today are under 40? (Interesting how all the women raise their hands)
Did you ever stop to consider that all the people standing on the shore are less than 40 years old. With the exception of Joshua and Caleb. See, God raised up a new generation. The old one failed to cross into the Promised Land!
Just as they did 40 years ago, spies were sent out. Only this time they returned with a great report!
Now the command comes. It’s time to get their feet wet!
Read Joshua 3:1-5
This nation is at a place of decision. These people have never been here before, other than Joshua and Caleb. They’re at a critical point.
•This is where you either breakdown or you breakthrough
•This is where you decide if the dream is worth it.
•It’s one thing to dream it’s another thing to take possession of that dream.
An entire generation had quit dreaming at this very place 40 years earlier.
They sent spies into the land, but they decided they couldn’t do it. Now 40 years later they’re back!
Listen, when you are committed to follow God you will someday come to this place. At this place there are only 2 choices:
(1) cross over into the promise
(2) or settle down right where you are and give up your dream
I believe these critical places are “God spots”.
•They’re places of impossibility but also places of miracles.
•They’re places that reveal our weakness but they’re also places where God reveals His strength.
•They’re places of our helplessness, but also places of God’s sufficiency.
•They’re places where all self effort is not enough, but also places where we discover God is more than enough.
They’re the places where we put our money where our mouth is. Places where we take what we claim to believe in, in the safety of the pew, and trust it will work on the river’s edge!
Joshua tells the people, “Follow the ark.”
Good advice isn’t it?
“People, you go where God goes. “Then you’ll know the way to go…” That is great advice! That’s good preaching!
Keep your eyes on God. He will show you which way to go!
First Joshua fills the people in on the plan. Follow the ark.
Then he talks to the Priests; “You carry the ark into the Jordan river!”
The last time this nation faced this task, Moses was in the lead.
But Joshua is not going to be like Moses.
He’s not going to raise his arms and watch the water part. Instead, he tells the priests carrying the ark and lead the way into the water.
I can see the priests looking at each other, and saying, “You go first; I was first last week!”
These are smart guys, they know the ark is made of gold, and gold does not float very well.
All they have is a promise that when the Priests step into the water, God will stop the water from flowing!
“As soon as they set foot in the Jordan, it’s waters will be cut off, and stand up in a heap.”
Last night I had a dream… (If you want the full text of the dream e-mail me and request the dream) Each time Joshua said “HUSH! Trust in God!”
Read Joshua 3:14-17
“As soon as the feet of the priests touched the waters edge the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan.” (20 miles away)
